Indicator for faucets.



J. E. WARD.

INDICATOR FOR FAUCES.

APPLICATION msn wut 15. 1914.

n1: uuun'x nun! ca, ruomuruu.. Hammam. l c

` larger scale.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH E. WARD, OF HANOVER, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO WILLISTONy ALVOBD OLMSTEAD, OF FORT SALONGA, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK.

INDICATOR FOB FAUCETS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1917.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOSEPH ELMER WVARD, of the town of Hanover, Morris county, State of New Jersey, United States of America, a citizen of the United States of America, have invented certain new and useful llnprovements in Indicators for Faucets; and I do hereby declare that the :following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates particularly to .faucets by means of which a beverage is delivered to a consumer, and more particularly to the faucets for serving different kinds of beverage in restaurants, hotels and bars, the object being to indicate to the customer which faucet is operated to ll his order and consequently with which kind or brand of beverage he is being served.

To this end the invention may be said to consist, broadly stated, of the combination with a faucet of an indicator, and means whereby the said indicator is operated in unison with the faucet.

More specifically stated the invention consists ol' a faucet having a. member movable with the handle ofy the faucet, an indicator adapted to display the name of the beverage and simultaneously actuate an alarm, and electrical means operatively connecting the handle to the indicator and alarm whereby the latter are operated in unison with the faucet. For full comprehension, however, of myy invention reference must be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which similar reference characters indicate the same parts, and wherein:

Figure 1 illustrates a portion of a bar in perspective and having my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a detail side elevation partly in vertical section illustrating the faucet; Fig. 8 is a transverse vertical sectional view thereof taken on line A A Fig. 2; Fig. -l is a horizontal sectional View taken on line B B Fig. 3 and drawn to a This illustration includes the indicating apparatus and a portion of the electrical connection between the faucet and indicator; Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the base of the electrical means and the device by which the same is secured to the faucet; and Fig. 6 is a similar view to Fig. 4 and illustrating a modification of the particular device whereby the indicator circuit 1s opened and closed bv the handle when the latter is opened and closed. The electrical connection is the same as in Fig. l and therefore is not shown.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive a bar or lunch counter or the like is indicated at 7) and the wall faced by the customers while being served at c. The faucet Z is of usual construction and connected to the source ofsupply in the usual manner not shown. Three of such faucets are illustrated and it is assumed that each is connected to a separate brand of beverage. The handle by which the valve of the faucet is operated is indicated at e. According to my invention the handle e is provided with an integral lug f of wedge form and a divided collar has its parts g and L clamped upon the neck z' of the faucet preferably by screws y' and la la, an insulating bushing Z being located between the clamped collar and the faucet. The collar part g carries a block m adapted to coincide with a block n carried by the collar part h when the two parts are clamped in place, a bolt o clamping these two blocks together. The block m is in the form of a box with the top and one end open, the latter' being closed by a plate m carrying one end of a tube m2, this boxlike block and the block n being covered by a plate o. yThis box has pivoted therein at p an angular lever one arm (I of which is bent downwardly and accommodated in a recess s formed in the block n the other arm q being curved upwardly to lie when the faucet is closed in bearing relation with and supporting a spring contact 12 to be presently further alluded to. A block t of insulation is set in the box fm, and carries the contact 12 and a fixed contact 13 with which Contact 12 by its natural resiliency is caused to normally bear, this insulating block being held in place by the plate o which is fastened by screws w.

An indicator 2 is attached to the wall c and has a series of transparencies bearing the trade names of the different beverages being served, King, Queen and Prince, for instance being indicated at 3, 4 and 5 together with electric bells 6, 7 and 8 of different tones, each transparency containing illuminating means preferably an electric lamp 10 and the illuminating device and bell of each transparency is connected to its respective faucet preferably by an independent electrical equipment. Each of these electrical equipments comprises the lever p and contacts 12 and 13 such contacts being the terminals of an electric circuit 14 including both bell and lamp 10 corresponding with the particular faucet thus equipped. There being three faucets three independent circuits will be required but as is well known to those skilled in electrical science the several circuits may be served by a single battery 15 as illustrated in Fig. 1 or otherwise as desired. The united blocks ym and n and lug ,f are so relatively arranged that when the lever c is raised to a position closing the faucet the wedge enters the recess and displaces the lever from the position shown in dotted lines Fig. 3 to that shown in full lines thereby breaking the circuit.

lf desired a plunger 23 illustrated in Fig. (3 may be substituted for the lever p such plunger having a head 21 normally extending across a recess s formed in the block n and having a tapered point, the stem being preferably a hard rubber pin and slidable with the head through the block t. he stein of the plunger projects in the recess g/ and normally lifts the spring contact 12 from the contact 13.

Operation; TVlien the customer calls for a particular brand of beverage and it is drawn from the faucet connected with the source of supply of this beverage, the circuit will be automatically closed as the operator opens the faucet, by the removal of the lug f from the recess 8 and the consequent movement of the lever j? under the influence of spring contact 12 which turns the lever 7J on its pivot and comes into bearing relation with the contact 13. lThe effect is that the lamp 10 is illuminated and bell 8 sounded, the illumination of the lamp lighting up transparency 3, e or 5 according to the faucet opened. lf the transparency 3 is illuniinated showing that ling7 beverage is being served when the customer has ordered C(lueenl it is quite obvious that he will be inade aware of the fact. The operation is the same with the modification as with the principal construction and the plunger slides and displaces contact 12 `from contact lfzlwlien the Afaucet is closed.

lllhat 1 claim isas follows i V1. A b'arlitting consisting of a. faucet; means clamped upon the faucet and having mounted thereon a pair of circuit terminal contactsya handle having a lug, and means and when in another position the circuit is closed.

2. i-i bar fitting consisting of a. faucet: means clamped upon the faucet and having mounted thereon a pair lof circuit terminal contacts; a. handle having a lug; and a meinber acted upon by the lug whereby, when the faucet is opened the circuit is closed.

3. A bar fitting consisting of a pair of clamping members having registering blocks forming integral parts thereof one of such blocks having a recess, a block of insulation secured to the other of the said first mentioned blocks, a fixed and a movable contact both carried by the block of insulation such movable contact being of resilient nature and extending across the fixed contact. a member adapted to have one end in bean relation with the movable contact and its opposite end extending into the recess of the other block of the said pair, an insulat ing cap inclosing the contacts and secured to the said iii-st mentioned blocks, a faucet having an operating handle with an integral part of wedge form, and means securing said clamping members uponthe faucet in position to have the Said integral part of tl handle enter the said recess and operate the lever.

a. A bar fitting consisting of a pair of gagement with the resilient contact, the opposite end of such plunger extending inte, the recess of the other block of the said pair, an insulating cap inclosing the contacts and secured to the said first mentioned blocks. a faucet having an operating handle with an integral part of wedge form, and means securing said clamping members upon the faucet in position to have the said integral part of the 'handle enter the said recess and disvplace the plunger. 1

testimony whereof AI have signed ini: naine` to this specification in the presence of VQ-V3-FGSSQS' JOSEPH E. TARD Witnesses: l i A i i T/ViLLL-iu J.V C. Hnwn'rsoN,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

' Washington, D C.

lll() 

